


A Winter Revelation

by Feather_OFA_Wolf



Category: Original Work
Genre: Native American/First Nations Culture, Native American/First Nations History, No Romance, Reader-Insert, Time Travel, but it was an accident
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-20
Updated: 2020-07-20
Packaged: 2021-03-05 00:07:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,600
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25405096
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Feather_OFA_Wolf/pseuds/Feather_OFA_Wolf
Summary: You woke up not in your bed, but a Ktunaxa winter lodge. You were transported back to January of 1450, but you don't know that. What will you need to do to survive the harsh winter of the Southern Plateau?
Kudos: 3





	A Winter Revelation

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone! Thank you all for bearing with me during these past few months where I was inactive. I had to deal with a lot of things in real life, and there are still some things I need to finish. I was reading a bit of history and got the idea to write this story. It is not my intention to offend anyone, and if any of the information is incorrect, please let me know, and I will fix it as soon as I can. Anyways, this is my first one-shot reader-insert story, so please let me know what you think! 
> 
> I hope you enjoy the story and have a wonderful day or night! Stay safe, people! 
> 
> ~ Feather_OFA_Wolf

You woke up feeling colder than usual, and when you reached down to pull up your bedsheets, you could feel that something was not quite the same as when you went to bed. Curiously, you slowly opened your eyes and nearly jumped out of bed from shock. 'This is definitely not my room,' you thought to yourself, looking down at the pile of fur pelts on top of you and the small, bare cabin-like structure you were sleeping in. You had no idea how you got into this small lodge; all you remember was thinking about the living conditions of early indigenous people in southeastern BC and wondering what that must have felt like for them. At first glance, this room looked hardly big enough for you to stand in. It had an opening in the ceiling with a smouldering fire-pit underneath, and you could make out a network of small wood limbs tightly stacked horizontally over long and spaced-out vertical trunks. It was doing a particularly good job keeping the cold winds out. Hearing a noise from somewhere across from you made you suddenly look around your surroundings once more, and you realized that three other people were sleeping in the small lodge alongside you. A teenage boy caused the noise, snoring across from you. There was also a mother with her child, on your right, along with an empty forth bed on your left side. They were sleeping in a similar fashion to yourself, using fur pelts as makeshift blankets with their beds elevated off the ground with wooden supports. You were a bit worried that whoever woke up early would be mad about you intruding in their personal space. 

As fascinated as it was to observe the people and the lodge itself, you felt like you overstayed your welcome, and you needed to leave as soon as possible. You took some time gathering your courage and left the comfort of the welcoming fur-bed. Surprisingly, there was a fifth set of animal skin boots and a warm-looking coat beside your bed. How strange, since you only counted three other people in the lodge. As quietly as you could, you put on the extra layers and walked to the narrow opening and quickly exited the lodge. The sun's weak glare was the first thing to greet you upon your emergence from the wooden structure. However, as soon as you stepped outside, you felt a cold wind blow past you, freezing the tip of your nose instantly. There was a thick layer of snow as far as you could see, and many other lodges sprouted from the ground similar to the one you left, but what surprised you the most was a strange feeling of déjà vù. Looking closely at the landscape, you barely recognized the similarity between the small hillside shrubs covered in snow around you with the familiar ancient vegetation that grew in your backyard. It was strange to see such a familiar scene within the unfamiliar situation you found yourself in. The campsite was bordered on one side by a stretch of forest, which appeared to roll along the many hills it helped keep firmly grounded. Although the trees were bare and weight down by snow, you could tell that summers on this plateau were beautiful with an abundance of fruits and foliage. On the camp's other side, you saw only flatland, but you could just make out the curves of a frozen river. You couldn't see electric towers anywhere, nor was there a visible plumbing system, or stores of any kind. Where have you ended up? Or perhaps, a better question would be, when have you ended up? As soon as you realized this, movement caught your eyes and pulled you out of your mixed emotions. 

Moving along the edges of the lodge you woke up in, you could see many people walking around the campground confidently and with purpose. Although the men were separated from the women, you could still feel the strong sense of a close-knit family between them. A group of men were gathered on the edge of the campsite, sharpening pieces of rocks or bones, attaching them to long wooden poles and having small conversations. Other males, mostly teens and young adults, laughed and talked loudly among smaller groups of friends, occasionally exclaiming so loud that one of the nearby women had to chastise them. You assumed the teens were being scolded, you realized that you didn't understand a word they were saying even though the group did make an effort of quieting down before they returned to their loud chatter. 'You will need to learn their language if you want to be able to communicate with anyone,' You thought to yourself. 'But who would teach me?' You turned away from the group of males and looked at the group of women. You saw them idly chatting with each other while expertly weaving together long strands of dark material. Once more, your curiosity got the better of you. You stepped out of the shadow of your lodge and quickly moving into the shadow of the next closest lodge to get a better view. You had to jump to two more lodges, ducking low to the ground, to have a closer look at what the women were making. From this shortened distance, you could identify the dark strands as dried bark fibres. Both women and older girls were weaving them into beautiful baskets, making intricate fishing nets, and soft undergarment clothes. Not too far away, there was another group of women who were making clothes with animal pelts. All around the campsite, small children ran in between the lodges, laughing and playing amongst themselves in thick bundles of clothing. 

It was captivating seeing how everyone, excluding the small children, had a part to play in this large extended family. The people showed a dynamic attitude towards their assigned chores, working together in a surreal peacefulness. Looking at everyone, you realized that you had to contribute to this community since they accepted you until you found a way back home. From what you saw, the women were tasked with making clothes and weaving tools. You could contribute with your knowledge of the local flora. You studied the plants that grew in our area, both edible plants and the ones to avoid, especially learning about nutritious roots that had healing properties. Since the environment looked similar to your neighbourhood's flora, you will offer your help with gathering medical and editable plants. You also learned to sow from my grandmother during frequent visits, and you later picked the skills to knit scarves, gloves, and hats for your family. Taking a closer look at their clothes, you will have an easier time translating your sowing and knitting skills into learning to weave baskets, nets, and clothing. You will need to showcase your skills to show your profound gratitude towards their acceptance and their willingness to take care of you by working hard to contribute to their community. After further observing the groups of both men and women, you noticed that the men were more aligned with hunting while the women were tasked with making the goods. But from the earlier interaction between the loud boys and the weaving women, you assumed that maternal opinion was highly regarded by the people. These seem to be crucial cultural knowledge from what you saw so far, and you made sure to remember: girls were not encouraged to participate in rowdy activities reserved for men, as boys were not promoted to do anything considered girly. However, this system worked well for the people from the practical and effective way that everything was operated. 

After staring at the people walking about, you started to grow cold in your flimsy pyjama pants, and more of your hair tips were turning to solid ice the longer you stayed hidden in the shadows of the early morning. You skillfully barreled your way back to the lodge you woke up in, with your teeth chattering together and everything getting colder. Your progress back to the lodge was plodding, and you used the time to consider how you will ask for clothes, shoes, water and food when you were unable to understand or speak a word of the language you heard floating all around you. The sounds you heard were very rich tones, comprised of many K-s, H-s and vibrant, powerful clicking vibrations. The language sounded like nothing you have ever heard before. You needed to find someone willing to communicate with you and somehow ask them how you got here too. You were growing desperate as you felt the cold seeping into my bones. Too busy looking to the sides, you hadn't noticed someone approaching in front of me, and you bumped full force into another body. You were falling down, your body growing too weak to support you any longer, but a pair of strong arms caught you in your decent. Staring into chocolate-coloured brown eyes, you saw worry, acceptance and a hint of something warmer. In your last moments of consciousness, you felt the mystery man lift me into his arms, carrying you into a lodge, and you saw the brief outlines of people following close behind and talking over each other in their beautiful, but mysterious language. As you closed your eyes, you thought to yourself that you will survive in this new land, and you will conquer all the challenges that await you whenever they come. But most of all, you thought about warm chocolate eyes and a firm embrace. 

THE END


End file.
